The University of Otago is discussing how to encourage more diverse medical students. Photo / Jason Oxenham.
I was interested to read about medical degrees wanting more ethnic students (NZ Herald, November 11).
I remember my son, about 25 years ago, after getting a Bachelor of Science and then deciding he wanted to go on a get a medical degree. He applied to Auckland
University. He came home after the interview and said he stuffed the interview up. On being asked how he would treat Māori patients, he said "I would treat all nationalities the same with due respect, care, diagnosis." Wrong answer, he did not go to Auckland University.
He learnt his lesson and got into Otago University - he said this was the best decision.
He now is a orthopaedic consultant in Melbourne. He wanted to come back here but seven years ago, was told there were already too many orthopaedic surgeons here. Now, they need them.
Good luck to all students in next year's intake, it is a hard and expensive degree.
Wendy Galloway, Omokoroa.
In regard to University of Otago's "mirror on society" (NZ Herald, November 11), I would have thought a fundamental value was fairness, which this is blatantly not.
Having over half of the students only having to achieve 70 per cent when compared to the other - so-called privileged - half achieve 95 per cent beggars belief.
Making it easier just because you are from the wop-wops and not the big smoke, for example, is using a very small mirror indeed.
Hamish Milne, St Heliers.
I am fully ready to believe that there have been a handful of fraudulent votes cast in the US elections. Small-scale voter fraud by individual voters occurs everywhere, even in New Zealand.
Thirty-seven cases of dual voting were referred to the police for prosecution after our last parliamentary elections in 2017. They were easily detected during the official recount and verification process that occurs after every election.
Even if not identified and discarded, a few dozen fake votes out of several million poses no threat to public trust in the integrity of the results.
But in the US, Trump and his supporters are alleging that there has been industrial-scale fraud - with no real evidence and vague references to photocopying of ballots in mysterious warehouses. This is just "fake news" to quote "The Donald", deliberately sowing seeds of doubt about Biden's credibility as President-elect.
Unless or until some facts are produced to back up these claims it is not incumbent on the media or officials to divert their time and energy into investigating something that does not exist.
Graeme Easte, Mt Albert.
Never mind Trump's new political action committee, which aims to control Republican party funds for future candidates, that is only a subterfuge or a fall-back plan.
It is more likely going to be used as funds to stage a present-day political coup, i.e. for him to stay in office in the present moment, not the future.
When you realise he has asked all 70 million voters to contribute money and he just fired four Defence officials, replacing them with his loyalists, he is clearly about to do something very treasonable; surround the White House with his own Republican army, and start a civil war with complicit backing of 70 million strong believers.
Plotting like a dictator who will not tolerate being deposed.
He is not in the least worried about the people that will die, as long as he remains in power.
Gillian McAven, North Shore.
Like a witch stirring a cauldron of poison, Mitch McConnell enabled the courts to be stacked.
In their final fight to overthrow legitimate election results, let's hope Trump, Barr and Pompeo punch below their weight.
Three of the lawyers who stopped the recount in Florida in favour of Baby Bush are now on the Supreme Court.
Dennis N. Horne, Howick
Cataract surgery perhaps achieves the quickest result in the shortest time, it usually takes just 15-20 minutes to perform. Current waiting times in the Waikato Hospital DHB area can only be reached for surgery when 63 points on a scale between 1 and 100 are reached.
The variation between District Health Boards throughout the country vary greatly some with rather less points for the required surgery.
For those with decreased sight, the everyday effects on life are highly stressful. Dependant on the area one resides in, it may be a very long wait to once more easily engage in driving, reading, gardening, shopping even seeing the way to the letterbox clearly.
For those in outlying areas without access to public transport, life becomes challenging.
A review of the system is desperately needed for a surgical procedure that takes so little time and achieves such wonderful relief to those in need.
Daphne Hunt, Taupiri.
In your article about staff shortages (NZ Herald, November 10), Act is blaming needless restraints for a courgette grower's harvest difficulties.
The grower himself points out that the work is leg-aching and back-breaking, but he thinks the workers he hires should be prepared to work 14 hours a day, seven days a week. How can anyone think they can get productive work from people under those conditions? It's time the grower and Act realised that by being sensible about offering decent working conditions, means getting your courgettes picked just as quickly and efficiently by New Zealanders. Let's stamp out trying to get immigrants to come and work under what is tantamount to slavery.
Neil Anderson, Algies Bay.
A recent article (NZ Herald, November 10) relied on outdated data when reporting on teachers' salaries. It was stated that, after nine years, teachers earn $76,000. The current top of the basic scale is, in fact, $87,000, which a graduate with a three-year degree and training can attain in eight years. The average is higher, probably over $90,000 with remuneration for extra responsibility.
While teachers' salaries still need to rise to reflect the demands of the job and the degree to which education contributes to society, compared to some of the salaries for other professions mentioned in the article, teaching is an attractive career option. Considering the recent news that school rolls are set to rise sharply, we need highly capable new applicants right now.
Chris Bangs, Hillsborough.
Thank you, David Fisher, for your letter (NZ Herald, November 11) regarding the World War I Armistice.
This morning I was thinking of the wonderful, brave, loyal horses, especially those of the Wellington Mounted Rifles 2nd Battalion, Queen Alexandra's Own.
My grandfather was an officer in that regiment and battalion and had two horses in Egypt. His regiment could not take their horses to Gallipoli.
My grandfather was a very skilled horseman who loved all his horses, taught me to ride and kept a fantastic record of his campaigns, which I donated to the Auckland War Memorial Museum.
I am still extremely saddened when I recall him telling me, as we looked through his albums together, that he had had to shoot both his horses. "They were good horses," he said, in his typically understated manner.
It still upsets me that the British Government refused to repatriate these horses.
A 10-year-old grandson, currently living in England, needed help with a school project on a relative who had been to war, so I sent him details about his great-great-grandfather, his regiment and uniform. I did not tell him the fate of the horses, as I didn't want to upset him.
Melanie Scott, Mangawhai.
On election
In the words of Albert Einstein, "two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe." Trump's most notable achievement is to confirm the theory. Peter Culpan, Te Atatū Peninsula.
We have witnessed Trump's true, autocratic colours lately. The sooner he is dragged out of the White House - in handcuffs, if need be - the better. John Watkins, Remuera.
To paraphrase the children in the street when Edmund Blackadder (Rowan Atkinson) asks "Am I not popular?" Sour puss, grumpy face, sour puss, Trumpy face. Rod Lyons, Muriwai.
When did America stop being great? I suspect it may have been when it was decided to retain the imperial measuring systems when so many other nations were wisely changing to metrics in the 1960's. Maybe someone could mention this to President-elect Biden when he starts repairing stuff? Juliet Leigh, Pt Chevalier.
On Am Cup
I hope that in the future, the Government - red, blue, green or yellow - and the Auckland Council (sorry, us ratepayers), will say to these rich sailors you fund it if you like. J. Davison, Manurewa.
On Labour
Andrew Little won't give nurses a fair go and Jacinda Ardern refuses to raise benefits before Christmas. Labour has refused to inherit past, left-wing philosophies. It 's obvious we now have a centrist party and I've wasted my vote again. Rex Head, Papatoetoe.
On housing
House prices are sufficient evidence that no policies have worked and never will, so long as primary economic forces of monetary policies and fiscal policies remain separated.
Kenneth Lees, Whangārei.
On council
"Unlimited" is the wrong message to be sending to any supposedly council "controlled" organisation. Mike Wagg, Freemans Bay.